Today the Miss America pageant said it with a peep — and several peep-toes — giving more than just a sneak preview of its famous Show Us Your Shoes Parade.

All 53 entries in the parade — shoes tall, tiny or shiny, some completely out of the box — were gussied up for a first look while their wearers, contestants in the pageant, stayed in rehearsals.

"We're coming out sort of gangbusters," says John Best, executive producer of the parade, musing that of all the shoes, he has "53 favorites."

There was Miss New York's black skyscraper pumps, with Lady Liberty on one toe, a glittery apple on the other. Miss Colorado's ruby jubilee, their multicolored drops recalling precious stones, sprayed all over like jellybeans. And Miss Pennsylvania's red, white and blue-covered platform heels that appeared to be nearly 7 inches tall. She probably shouldn't tell the podiatrist.

But the most risky, daring, thought-provoking pair?

Hands down it's Miss Kansas, with her simple pair of work boots. (She's in the state National Guard.) While the 52 other pairs of shoes have obviously been created to wow, it's not a stretch to say these buck the trend. They even have a stain.

The procession starts 5 p.m. Saturday on the boardwalk. Contestants will not only wear their state-themed shoes, but also eccentric attire to match.

Miss New Jersey, Cara McCollum, says she's going with a combined "washed ashore" and "Stronger Than the Storm" theme. Her peep-toe pumps, encrusted with starfish, oyster pearls and seashells, shimmer with a sea foam green and ocean blue, like "Wizard of Oz" went to the Shore.

At a media preview this afternoon in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, they stood on a table not far from Miss Maine's shoes, similarly festooned with aquatic accessories, including the state's renowned lobster.

Perhaps a match to the state's strong pageant legacy, the pair of shoes representing Miss Texas seems to be the most showy of the group, a polar opposite to humble Kansas pair. They're cowboy boots, of course, emblazoned with a rainbow menagerie of colored crystals, making Miss Wyoming's smaller boots — black and sprinkled with clear rhinestones — look quite sedate. They may be from ("Don't Mess With") Texas, but the boots themselves were made in Mexico, size 8 1/2.

VIDEO: Sneak Peek at Miss America's ShoesIn a prelude to one of Miss America's most popular events - the "Show Us Your Shoes" parade, held Saturday, September 14th in Atlantic City - John Best, parade executive director, unveiled a sneak peek of each contestant's shoe designs during a press conference at Boardwalk Hall. Best explains that each contestant had artistic freedom to design the shoes in whatever manner they felt best represented each contestant and their respective states. Video by Mike Roy/The Star-Ledger

Miss South Dakota's spiky, studded thigh-high boots conjure something out of the realm of S&M, while Miss Hawaii went completely feminine-floral, in the vein of a boutonniere. Miss Massachusetts opted for a pair of silver galoshes or Wellingtons — whatever you want to call them — dressed up with shiny adornments that conjure raindrops.

The Show Us Your Shoes Parade started in the 1970s, says Best, the producer. Hecklers would find Miss America contestants in rehearsal mode, wearing slippers to cushion the blow. So one year the ladies decided to wear more than just your average high heel. To silence any possible taunts, they decked their stems to the max. Fast forward several decades and we have Miss Florida, wearing emerald-green gators on her feet.

This is his Best's first parade, too. While the pageant was out in Las Vegas, there were no shoe parades, alternately referred to as the Miss America Parade. He expects quite a crowd for the event's return. Ads in casinos and on city streets have teased the evening procession for weeks now.

Come Satuday, rolling chairs, heels and floats will again move down the boardwalk, tradition carrying on with each step. For contestants, they will be among the final steps they take on the eve of the pageant's conclusion, when Miss America 2014 gets her crown.